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Horn and Ivory
| omnibus=Twist of Faith| pages=105-177| date=27,600 BC, 2376| |}} After stepping through the gateway, Kira finds herself in Bajor's past, where she is fighting for the freedom of a Bajoran civilization. Summary After stepping through the Iconian gateway, Kira Nerys is transported several millennia into Bajor's past, and allies herself with rebels against the Lerrit Army, working with Torrna Antosso. After beating back the Army, the rebels organize into the Perikian provisional government, and entertain visitors from the Bajora during their first meeting, who seek them to join their global unification movement. Unwilling to sacrifice their newly gained freedom, the Bajora are rebuked. General Torrna is named the liaison to the Endtree naval forces who will protect the harbor and port until the Perikians can build their own fleet. Torrna reluctantly agrees to set up an office at the port, but insists that Kira continue to remain with him as his second in command. Despite her best intentions of not working to change the history of Bajor, Kira still accepts the decision she made when she stepped through the gateway, and suspects the Prophets are guiding her. Few historical records of this time and place remained to the present day, so Kira feels confident she can live out as long as she stays. After a successful naval engagement against pirates, Kira and Torrna receive word of a collapse of the Fire Caves, likely signaling an increase in traffic to their port. While drawing up plans for improvements to meet the new arrivals, Kira begins to draw parallels between her initial posting on Deep Space 9 and the current situation surrounding her. The increase in traffic to the port also occurred simultaneously with a resurgence of the Lerrit, who attack mercilessly and manage to capture Torrna and Kira during one engagement. They are able to escape with the assistance of a spy working in the Lerrit organization, but the trek back to their territory is difficult, passing through a swamp and over mountains. Kira fears they will both die - Torrna from an arm wound, and she from exhaustion - but they continue to trek on. After Kira collapses, her thoughts are that she is dying. She reawakens in the infirmary of their fort, where the nurse informs Kira that she had pneumonia, but her not telling Torrna likely kept him moving and able to drag her with him. The Lerrit have reported them both as executed, as an emotional ploy. Once healed sufficiently, Kira returns to Perikia aboard a naval vessel, and finds the port ablaze. As an act of desperation, the Lerrit have torched it so that no one may control it. With the Prefect and naval Admiral dead, Kira talks Torrna away from killing himself so that he may lead the region. Without understanding why, Kira explores the caverns below the port, and discovers another gateway. After stepping through, she finds herself on a small circular floor staring up into the galaxy itself. A cloaked figure approaches, and introduces himself as an emissary or a custodian. The possible Iconian has cured her of the radiation sickness, and cleared the antimatter waste from the Europa Nova gateway along with returning the runabout. He opens a doorway for Kira back to Deep Space Nine, but she asks about why there were no gateways near Bajor; the figure cryptically responds that they respect the beings who watch over her worlds, and implores her to never give up her exploratory spirit. Back on the station, Kira is briefed on the situation, and retreats to the ready room to read up on the historical period she was part of, finding little useful or concrete information. Kira finally removes Sisko's baseball from the desk, no longer hoping for his return to relieve her of the duties of command. References Characters :Ezri Dax • Gan • • Inna Murent • Kira Nerys • Maldik • Moloki • Morlek • Natlar Ryslin • Prilla • Syba Avtra • Taran'atar • Torrna Antosso • Torrna Lyyra • Tunhal Din Bareil Antos • Julian Bashir • Sam Bowers • Skrain Dukat • Furel • Tiris Jast • Kira Taban • Kosst Amojan • Lupaza • Akellen Macet • Odo • Periki Remarro • Quark • Ro Laren • Shabren • Shakaar Edon • Benjamin Sisko • Syba • Takmor • Elias Vaughn • Winn Adami • Ychell Mafon • Charivretha zh'Thane Locations :Alpha Quadrant • Bajor • Deep Space 9 • Fort Tendro • Korvale Ocean • Natlar Port • Operations center • Perikian Peninsula Bajoran wormhole • Barlin Field • B'hala • Celestial Temple • Costa Rocosa • Dahkur Hills • Delta Quadrant • Denorios Belt • Europa Nova • Fire Caves • Founders' homeworld • Jerad Province • Kendra Valley • Lonnat Valley • Makar Province • Sempa Province • Yvrig Races and cultures :Bajoran • Iconian • Jem'Hadar • Trill Cardassian • Hirogen • Pah-wraith • Prophets Starships and vehicles : ( ) • ''Haeys • • • States and organizations :Bajora • Bajoran Militia • Endtree • Endtree Navy • Jeradian • Lerrit • Lerrit Army • Lerrit Navy • Perikian Free Army • Perikian Republic • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets Alliance for Global Unity • Bajoran Resistance • Dominion • Iconian Empire • Orion Syndicate Other references :Bajoran history • Bajoran language • Bajoran prophecy • Bajoran religion • baseball • cannon • Dominion War • Emissary of the Prophets • flagship • hezlat • Iconian gateway • monarchy • Occupation of Bajor • Orb of Time • pagh • pagh'tem'far • paluku • piracy • queen • Reckoning • sailing ship • ''Shabren's Fifth Prophecy • shield enhancer • tachyon eddy • theta radiation • thousands of years ago • time travel • tuxedo Information *''Horn and Ivory'' continues the story from Demons of Air and Darkness. *The title comes from Homer's Odyssey: "Two gates for ghostly dreams there are: One gateway of honest horn, and one of ivory". *DeCandido commented ""Horn and Ivory" was great fun to write because it was such an important story for Kira and I was thrilled by the great response to it". (Voyages of Imagination) *''Horn and Ivory'' won "Best Short Story" of the 2001 Psi Phi Awards. http://www.sff.net/people/krad/ds9.htm Quotes In over thirty-three years of life, Kira Nerys had been sure many times that she was going to die. Thus far, she'd been glad to have been wrong each time, but as she crouched in the half-meter of snow, sweat pouring from her brow even as she shivered uncontrollably, checking to see if anyone was coming up behind them, she was starting to wish she would die, just so her present hell would end. :-Kira Nerys, reflecting on her escape from capture "You see that?" "I don't see anythin' but-" Losing all patience, Kira screamed. "The bodies! Look at the bodies! Those people died fighting for Perikia! So did Natlas, so did Inna - and so did Lyyra. You have no right to give up now - because if you do, Lerrit has won. There's no one else who can unite these people the way you can now - you're a hero! Without you, they'll fall apart, and either Prince Avtra or the Bajora will be able to come right in and take over." :-Kira Nerys talking sense into General Torrna Antosso "We thought there was a natural phenomenon preventing your gateways from functioning in the space around my planet," Kira said. "That isn't completely true, is it?" "No," the Iconian confirmed. "But we respect the beings who watch your worlds. And we long ago promised never to interfere with them." "Worlds...?" Kira asked. "Farewell, Colonel." :-Kira Nerys and the Iconian watcher Related stories *Kira would later have visions of Bajor at this time in the . *Kira recalls moments in her life from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "Battle Lines", "Life Support", "Starship Down", "The Darkness and the Light", "Rapture", "Ties of Blood and Water", "The Reckoning" and "What You Leave Behind". Connections * }} Demons of Air and Darkness | after1= Twilight| type2= | series2=anthology2| name2=What Lay Beyond| image2=File:What Lay Beyond.jpg| format2=none| before2=Exodus}} | after2=In the Queue | type3= | series3=anthology3| name3=Twist of Faith| image3=File:Twist of Faith.jpg| format3=none| before3=Demons of Air and Darkness | after3=Last in omnibus | typea= | author=Keith R. A. DeCandido | formata= | beforea=Demons of Air and Darkness | aftera=Here There Be Monsters | prevpocket=Doors Into Chaos Demons of Air and Darkness No Man's Land Cold Wars | nextpocket=Here There Be Monsters | voyages1=DS9| adbefore1=Demons of Air and Darkness | adafter1=Twilight | timeframe=Timeframe1| primary=2376| date1=27,600 BC | prevdate1=The Escape | nextdate1=Spock's World | }} Category:DS9 short stories